The field of the invention relates generally to power systems and, more particularly, to a housing apparatus that may be used with an electrical system of the power system.
At least some known systems, such as power systems, use at least one turbine engine that is coupled to a load, wherein the load is an electrical system, such as an electrical generator or inverter. The turbine engine generates mechanical rotational energy and the generator converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy. Some power systems may use high speed generators to facilitate an increased power density. However, when using high speed generators, relatively high rotational speeds are implemented by the rotating element, such as a rotor shaft, of the generator. Such speeds may apply centrifugal forces on the rotating element and result in a relatively high temperature within the generator. The heat may cause stress on the components of the generator.
At least some known housings may be used to house high speed generators. However, the materials used to fabricate at least some known housings may be substantially heavy and/or the rigidity of the materials may be substantially low. Moreover, because the generator is enclosed within the housing, the heat generated by the generator is not able to dissipate. The heat and the relatively low rigidity of the housing may cause deformities to the housing and/or to the generator. A deformed housing and/or generator may cause misalignment of the housing and/or the components of the generator with respect to the turbine engine. Such misalignment may lead to a failure of at least one component of the power system and/or adversely affect the operation of the power system. Accordingly, there is a need for a lightweight and rigid housing structure for high speed generators that facilitates a cooling mechanism to prevent the temperature of the housing and/or of the generator contained therein from substantially increasing.